Quilting is a very exacting and complex craft specialty involving not only complicated creative and design decisions, but also skill with assorted tools for cutting, measuring, preparing and sewing the component pieces together. One category of tools consists of so-called “design walls” and “design boards”. They essentially differ from each other with respect to size. Design boards range from 10″ to 18″ square and design walls can be larger, extending up to approximately 72″ square. Both are typically made of foam board and covered with batting, flannel, or fleece fabric.
Design walls and boards in general help the quilter preview the component units that comprise a quilt—before these components are sewn together. The first level of unit, are “quilt blocks” which are composed of a number of individual fabric pieces. Next is a series or combination of quilt blocks which in turn compose a completed quilt. Using a design wall, the quilter can experiment with the series quilt blocks that comprise a major portion of or indeed the entire quilt. Design boards on the other hand usually display only one completed quilt block. Being of manageable size, design boards, displaying one completed but yet-to-be-sewn block, can be conveniently placed on the sewing table and viewed by the quilter. Piece-by-piece the component units of the quilt block are removed from the board and sewn together in proper sequence. Quilt blocks in turn are typically 12″ to 18″ square. Some blocks are simple, others are complex, but whichever it may be, it is always desirable for the quilter to have a platform upon which to layout and visualize the pieces.
Unfortunately, however, design walls are usually just that; i.e., a large wall and suited to rest on the floor rather than on a table. Design bards are for tabletop use but are typically designed to lay flat with no device to prop them up. Accordingly, it would be desirable for there to be a tabletop design that displays the quilt block upright, a configuration that is both easier to view and requires significantly less tabletop space.